


the waterboy

by littlefoxblues



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Hatake Kakashi, Alpha Sasuke, Alpha Uchiha, Alpha Uchiha Itachi, Alpha Uchiha Sasuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bottom Uzumaki Naruto, Explicit Language, M/M, Omega Deidara, Omega Naruto, Omega Umino Iruka, Omega Uzumaki Naruto, SasuNaru - Freeform, Soccer, Top Uchiha Sasuke, because I like spanish, some spanish vibes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-16 18:10:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21040544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlefoxblues/pseuds/littlefoxblues
Summary: The one where Naruto's new to Konoha, the town where his legendary father, Minato, grew up. Wanting to prove himself to resentful Konoha residents as a great soccer player worthy of being Minato's son, he sets out to live up to his father's legacy.Unfortunately, he becomes a waterboy.Un-unfortunately, he gets to watch that Uchiha kid play, and damn, was he a sight to see.





	1. the start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to Naruto's life before his story ensues.

Naruto Uzumaki's father is no other than the legendary Minato — the soccer player nicknamed Konoha's Yellow Flash for his incredible speed on the field. Regarded as the youngest and most-famed soccer player to come from not only Konoha but Hidden Leaf _High School_, there was nothing stopping him from becoming the youngest player in Konoha's history to play for the US international soccer team.

Until October 10th, of course.

Since birth, Konoha has despised Naruto Uzumaki for essentially ruining Minato's chances of being known globally, granting their own high school some attention too. Minato, on the other hand, wasn't too troubled by that. He and his wonderful wife, Kushina, had made_ a child._

The life of a professional soccer player was enticing, exciting and everything Minato could've wanted and yet — it was too much to handle and not enough to fulfill his heart. It would have been too demanding, too exhausting, and too damn distracting from what was really important to him — his family. Without a second thought, Minato, only 18 years old, willingly let go of his potential soccer career in order to support Kushina and their new bundle of joy, Naruto.

However, in order to escape the constant taunts, complaints, and tantrums generously gifted to him by his own village, the family decided that their best option was to move. Specifically? — Uzushio, Kushina's small home town in California. After all, she had moved when she was young only due to her father's job relocation.

Raising Naruto in the same streets and whirlpools that Kushina had was a wish she could only fantasize about.

Although Kushina was deeply infatuated with the thought of this, it was actually Minato's first thought and it had been him who kept persistent on the relocation. Kushina, pushing her elatedness aside, voiced her worries about finding a proper home and proper jobs on such short notice. Having to make such a sharp transition with very little thought into it would be difficult, to say the least.

But what could she say? Minato was a born leader, and sometimes — _only_ _sometimes_ — a little more hard-headed than her.

* * *

_"To meet your home town- No, to meet the sacred grounds you first graced upon is an honor in itself, Kushina," Minato teased while placed in a deep, dramatic bow with his chest facing the floorboards, one hand over his heart and the other bent behind his back. Minato's neck craned to her direction where sky-blue eyes gazed into her own strikingly violet ones, marveling her in adoration. Kushina's face softened at the look, cornered by his stare until a corner of his lips twitched up reluctantly. His smirk began to shake until he finally caved, erupting into a fit of laughter._

_Kushina furrowed her brows, narrowed her newly hardened glare, and huffed. She wanted to cross her arms in annoyance but a certain blonde-haired baby boy occupied her arms at the moment. She opted for stepping closer to Minato and smacking his head instead, replacing his laughter with whines almost instantly. It was her turn to laugh and afterward, she playfully stuck her tongue out at him in a mocking manner._

_Minato, still rubbing his right temple, couldn't help but smile at her. They were in their new home, their new town, ready to make new adventures._

_So what if the neighborhood looked like the darkest corners of NYC, riddled with tall, bricked apartments? Climbing to the rooftop of these heights only made it easier to see the whirlpools._

_So what if the sidewalks were littered with dogs and cats, and were - for some reason involving the whirlpools splashing, Minato didn't quite catch what Kushina said - always wet? If anything, it made it known to outsiders that this town was clearly not built for robberies; surely slipping on wet streets and awakening the neighborhood with alarmed animals was a situation all burglars would like to avoid._

_So what if they had to settle for low-paying jobs, being a youth soccer trainer and a teacher? Just one flicker toward their baby boy, smiling and staring at his mother with curious, squinted eyes and he knew _— _**they would be happy here.**_

* * *

**[Tribe by Bas ft. J Cole]**

Now, fast-forward 15 years into the future.

If you happened to be roaming the streets of Uzushio during the sunny days of mid-July, it is without a doubt that you eventually encountered heavy footsteps, labored breathing, and wheezed-out chuckles. Not long after, the image of two young boys flashed by, the shorter brunette not long behind the taller blonde who skillfully dribbled and kept the soccer ball close to him with great speed.

"Slow." _Wheeze_. "Down." _Pant_. "Won't." _Gasp_. "You?" Konohamaru managed to squeeze out with his last few breaths, still hot on Naruto's tail.

"No chance, you little bugger," Naruto sniggered, trying to disguise his own short huffs and puffs. He had to admit, Konahamaru's stamina had improved immensely in the three years he had known the kid. When they first started this game of cat-and-mouse, Konohamaru couldn't run past two blocks before Naruto was way out of sight. Three years later though and what do you know? They had _both_ run through every street and corner of their town - of course, skillfully avoiding every puddle - with no thoughts of stopping soon. He was almost as fast as Naruto — _almost_.

Ever since Konohamaru's move to Uzushio at age nine, he made it his goal to become the best soccer player that Uzushio had ever seen. And _who_ happened to be practicing his Ginga style from sunrise to sundown in the soccer field right next to his new home? Well, none other than Naruto, of course.

_He had groggily awoken on top of the new couch that his mother had placed him on while he was fast asleep. His parents had made the mistake of moving in the late afternoon; hence, it was well past midnight when they arrived. Konohamaru's parents accepted their fate and after hauling in the mattresses and heavier furniture first, they decided that they might as well spend their few remaining resting hours unpacking instead._

_The living room was still quite empty with only a few pictures adorning the white walls, the room tinted orange by the natural light seeping from the window. He carelessly glanced around with half-lidded eyes, briefly eyeing the large, brown boxes stacked against a corner. While yawning, rubbing his eyes and clutching his stuffed monkey a little tighter, he flinched in surprise at the sound of 'Dammit!' coming from a close distance._

_He followed the sound and turned to the window behind him, squinting as his vision adjusted to the rising sun. Irritated and curious, Konohamaru raised his monkey-less arm against his forehead, blocking the light just enough to see a frustrated blonde through the white net of the goalpost. It seemed like the boy had lifted his back off the ground and repositioned himself, sitting cross-legged on the turf. He panted erratically with his head between his knees, forearm upon forearm resting on his shins. Sweat dripped steadily from his forehead where blonde strands stuck, droplets falling between his thighs._

_Konohamaru stared at him with slight pity before hearing his mother call, running upstairs to check out his new room. Hours passed as his parents continued to move and open boxes, making the new place look a little more like home each time. As he ran back downstairs to gather more of his stuffed animals, his eyes fluttered toward the window, now showing purplish hues as the evening came. A slight gasp escaped him, noticing that the blonde boy still hadn't left. He looked even more exhausted than before, yet _— _what was that glint in his eyes?_

_At this point, the blonde boy was drenched in sweat from his large orange t-shirt to the black shorts clinging tightly to his sticky thighs. He panted savagely, struggling to keep any sort of composure as his body shook violently. Still, his eyes were scarily steady on the net, as if there were something inside of him that wouldn't let him give up._

_Konohamaru scrambled onto the couch clasping a stuffed animal while keeping his head down as to not draw attention to himself. He watched in awe as the blonde boy turned his back toward the goalpost, threw the ball into the air and jumped up while keeping his left leg tucked behind him as his right leg shot up straight, kicking the ball in mid-air _— **_a bicycle kick._**

_Naruto fell on his back with a loud thud, and Konohamaru winced while letting out a small hiss. The blonde boy, however, seemed to be unbothered as he quickly turned onto his belly to see where the ball had landed; it was tucked snuggly into the right corner of the net. Upon seeing this, Naruto's face lit up immediately. He pushed himself off the ground, jumping as he fisted the air with an unbreakable grin and an excited “Yeah!”_

_'Woah," Konohamaru whispered. On that_ _day, the brunette knew that whoever that determined, relentless, unmovable blonde boy happened to be was most definitely meant to be — **his rival**._

He also happened to realize this again when Naruto noticed him and teased him for staring, causing an angry Konohamaru to impulsively run out of his house and chase the boy down. With that, they unknowingly established their first game of cat-and-mouse; you_ can guess who won that round._

No matter how much Naruto hated to admit it, Konohamaru was growing up, growing better, and growing stronger with each passing day. '_He_ s_till can't take the ball from me though_,' Naruto thought to himself as a small smirk crept upon his lips. Finally arriving back at the un-gated soccer field, Naruto proudly did a few inside scissors before he brought his foot back and, from the left side of the field, launched the ball into the top-right corner of the left goalpost. They both arrived with heavy pants, holding themselves up on shaky knees.

"One day, Naruto. One day, I'll catch you..." Konohamaru wheezed out before he collapsed onto the turf. Naruto struggled to let out a few chuckles and stuck his tongue out at him before his knees gave out and he landed right beside him, mimicking his starfish position. They both regained their steady breathing pattern and a comfortable silence grew amongst the two. They laid there hearing the sound of whirlpools swirling and pelicans singing, watching the sun slowly start to disappear into the ocean. The faint alarm from police cars in the distance, the meows of meddling cats stalking through alleys, the barks of dogs echoing one another, people chattering, waves rippling, birds whistling - this was home. And soon, it wouldn't be.

Naruto violently gnawed on his bottom lip, flaring his nostrils and trying to steady his rapidly-rising heartbeat. He was unsure of how to hold back the tears begging to be let go. It was such bad timing, but - _damnit_ \- how could he make his brain forget?

"I hope that day comes," Naruto whispered, trying to hide his faltering tone. Konohamaru slightly tilted his head toward his left side where Naruto laid, eyes still glued to the sky. Remembering his previous comment, his expression fell immediately. However, he quickly built up a facade, replacing his frown with a lopsided grin.

"Oh, it will. Either way, you're stuck with me for life, remember? It doesn't matter how far you go, Uzumaki," he smirked, moving his hands behind his head. "You'll always be my rival."

Naruto was usually unshakeable but right now he couldn't breathe. He fiddled with the strings of his Adidas pants until his fingers begun to twitch, which Konohamaru quickly noticed and didn't question. He was tic-ing, and there was always something wrong when he tic-ed.

Konohamaru pulled himself off the ground, dusting the back of his matching Adidas pants. He took one last glance at the sky before offering a hand to his whiskered friend, the same lopsided grin plastered to his face. Naruto glowered at him with watery eyes, still struggling to keep his emotions at bay. With a struggled and weak half-smile, he took his hand. _'He always did know me best,'_ he thought to himself with his hands stuffed in his pockets as they both walked away from the field, possibly for the last time.

* * *

**[Listen Before I Go by Billie Eilish]**

They sat atop the rooftop of Konohamaru's apartment building, legs dangling from the edge, as they watched deep-blue whirlpools whirl amongst the twilight. They each held takeout from the Ichiraku Ramen shop right around the corner. Naruto greedily slurped on his Miso based ramen (extra pork, of course) while Konohamaru chewed on the last of his dumplings. Not long after, they discarded their take-out containers in the makeshift trash from the 'Ichiraku Ramen'-labeled plastic bag.

Besides cat-and-mouse, this was _their _thing.

Every time Konohamaru needed to get away from the sound of loud arguments and thrown vases, they came here. Every time Naruto needed to clear his mind from all the losses of loved ones he had suffered, they came here. Every time they just needed somewhere to heal, to be alone but not alone, to bring their problems and mentally launch it into that terribly wonderful whirlpool - _they came here_.

Naruto had his full attention now. Konohamaru rested on his elbows, looking at him expectantly. If Naruto hadn't known him any better, he'd think Konohamaru wasn't trying to hide any concern behind those attentive yet half-lidded eyes — but Naruto _did_ know him better, and Konohamaru knew him just as well. Which is why Naruto didn't even bother to disguise the fact that he was back to being on the verge of tears. His balled-up fists went to cover his eyes as he took deep, shaky breaths, small whimpers escaping between each inhale. Konohamaru grew more concerned by the second, his heartbreaking as he watched his big brother fall apart. However, he could only wait patiently knowing that Naruto despised any form of pity.

Reluctantly removing his hands to reveal his wet and red-rimmed eyes, he let out a weak huff. "It's just... God, Konohamaru you know me," he muttered hoarsely, fingers twiddling the hem of his orange shirt. "Ever since my parents died all I ever wanted was to be strong. Be strong for them, be strong for the village, be strong for my mother's students, my father's pupils, Grandma Mito, Teuchi, Ayame — _you_," Naruto continued, his final word fading into a whisper. "And I just, uh - I guess I just got so caught up in being strong for everyone else, I never learned how to be strong for me too, you know? And I - fuck - and now Grandma Mito, man. I never wanted to be weak, not again, not after that night. And now Grandma Mito's gone and I have to move to stay with some relative that I don't even fucking _know_ and I'm back in that _dark_ and _lonely_ and _weak_ place all over again. I'm just so... _weak_."

His last word came out as a whispered cry.

His barriers had broken. Naruto really tried -- that is, _really_ _tried_ \-- but nothing could stop the ever-flowing dam that freed itself from Naruto's eyes; Konohamaru tried anyway. He pulled a shaky, weeping Naruto into his own smaller chest along with his broken sobs and silent screams. He held him there tightly while rubbing soothing circles into his back with his right hand, the left one only gripping him closer.

Minutes flew by like seconds and the black sky was cloaked in sparkling stars.

Naruto slowly released himself from Konohamaru's hold, only to scoot farther from the edge and pull Konohamaru with him. They stayed like that for a while. They watched white lights twinkle and heavy waves crash, occasionally hearing dogs barking from a distance.

"You don't need to worry about me," Konohamaru said quietly, startling Naruto. "You got that? I got my strength from you, and you're the strongest person I know so don't you dare think you have to worry about me. Why do you think I made you my rival?" Konohamaru scoffed, shaking his head. "It's sure as hell not because you're weak, I can tell you that. You've been through hell and back and, _wow --_ you've... suffered. Yet somehow, someway, you manage to turn all that pain and heartache into... I don't even_ know _\-- I guess, hope? I mean- like- you work hard, you believe in yourself, you're loyal and empathetic, yes, but most of all — you never give up and you never back down from a challenge. And _this?_ This _move?_ It's just another challenge, you hear me? And the Naruto Uzumaki that I know would _never_ back down from a challenge..."

Naruto sat there, tensed, with furrowed brows and blown eyes. However, his expression quickly morphed from surprise to soft admiration. Naruto stared at Konohamaru gently while the brunette glared at the sky trying to ignore the light blush that crept upon his cheeks. Even with a tight, tear-stained face, Naruto managed to crack a bright and toothy smile accompanied by a dry chuckle. He removed his gaze from Konohamaru and settled his sight upon the violet sky above instead, grinning wildly.

"I won't ever back down from a challenge, believe it."

* * *

**[Eres Tu by Carla Morrison]**

For Naruto, the next morning was filled with rushed goodbyes and last-minute packing. He made sure to buy some Ichiraku Ramen before hitting the road considering it was the last time he'd be tasting it for a while. He watched as the mover neatly packed the last of his boxes into the van and double-checked the house to see if anything remained.

Naruto quickly reminisced over the field, the sunsets, the sunrises, the whirlpools, the hot weather, and the ramen. He reminisced over memories of cooking with Grandma Mito, playing cat-and-mouse, late nights after sneaking out with friends, and petting every cat or dog that graced upon his stoop.

He hadn't even left yet and he was already missing home, damnit. If it weren't for last night, his bones would rattle at the thought of having to kiss his town goodbye. His eyes darted toward Konohamaru's house directly across the street and on the left side of the field. He smirked to himself and shook his head lightly. To hell with fear_ — _he was Naruto Uzumaki_._

He shared his goodbyes to nearly everyone he could think of except Konohamaru. Naruto knew he liked to sleep in late and didn't want to disturb the boy's sleep. After all, they had both went to bed quite late last night. With a deep breath and his head held high, Naruto turned around and hoisted himself to jump into the passenger's seat of the van.

"Naruto, wait!" Konohamaru yelled, sprinting across the street in a panic. He looked horrendously stupid _— _His hair was ruffled, chocolate-covered bananas were printed upon his boxers, a grease-stained white t-shirt barely clung onto his shoulders, and in his left hand, he held a stuffed animal of a... fox? Naruto stepped back down onto the pavement, confusion clearly overtaking his face. Konohamaru looked up at him with wild and tired eyes, panting slightly as a cheesy grin adorned his face. He stuck his arm out and held up the fox to Naruto's chest.

"It's, uh, Kurama. His name, that is. I know it's silly but I, uh, want you to keep it? Kurama was the stuffed animal I held before I looked at you and, ah, first considered you a rival," Konohamaru chuckled nervously with a hand scratching his nape. "He's sort of a... reminder? He reminds me of the strength I saw in you that day, the strength that I vowed to have. And although I'm still reaching for that strength, I want you to keep it so, uh, you can remember too. I want you to see him and, well, think of me — a symbol that your strength doesn't go unnoticed. A sign that your strength has influence. A reminder that as long as you are strong, I am t- _OOF_."

Naruto pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, giggling as Konohamaru complained that he couldn't breathe. With a few whispered _thank you_'s and _I'll miss you_'s and a_ you better not forget my birthday_, Naruto took Kurama and hopped into the van, holding him dearly to his chest. They waved goodbye to each other, both boys with trembling lips and blurry vision (although they'd rather die before admitting it). Konohamaru stood in the middle of the street, still waving until he could no longer see the van in sight. With a sad sigh, Konohamaru made his way back to the stoop of his home with heavy footsteps and a gloomy face. He looked back to the now barren household that the Uzumaki family had once occupied.

_"Until we meet again, rival. Until we meet again..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A concept -- take a shot every time you see the word 'eyes' in this chapter. Have fun being wasted.
> 
> Also, I just realized I gave Konohamaru the power of talk no Jutsu -- wonder who taught him that.
> 
> -
> 
> Hey buddies, let me know what you think and don't be afraid to share your opinions, got that? I'm super open to any constructive criticism as I just want to improve my writing. Enjoy your day!
> 
> and next chapter? Get ready to meet Sasuke, boys


	2. Just a Question: To Be Deleted

Hey guys, I'm just posting this to ask a question!

So me being the forgetful person that I am, I forgot that I originally wanted to make this an ABO story.

I only realized the other day when I looked at the tags, and now I'm worried about how it might affect

affect the storyline.

However, considering I've only written the first draft for the second chapter, it wouldn't take long

to edit my work to fit around ABO. I quite like the first chapter I've already posted, but it wouldn't

take me long to make it ABO as well.

Anyway, what I'm trying to ask is:

Would you guys prefer this fic as ABO or not?

Please comment down below and have a good day! :)


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